En 1987, Willy DeVille débute une carrière solo avec Miracle en collaboration avec Mark Knopfler de Dire Straits. Sa femme Lisa Leggett, épousée en 1984, devient son manager. Vers 1990, il s'installe à la Nouvelle-Orléans dont l'ambiance musicale colore les albums suivants. Willy DeVille y enregistre Victory Mixture en 1990, suivi de Backstreets of Desire en 1992, où figure son grand tube, la reprise de Hey Joe version mariachi, qui lui vaut un succès international, et auquel collaborent le légendaire bluesman Dr. John, inspirateur d'Eric Clapton et des Rolling Stones, David Hidalgo des Los Lobos, Efrain Toro, Mariachi los Camperos and Jimmy Zavala et Zachary Richard.

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! and that ain't cool
Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mama down
You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the ground yeah!
Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Huh, yes I did I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
And I shot her
Alright
Shoot her one more time again baby!
Yeah!
Oh dig it
Oh alright
Hey Joe,
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to Mexico way
Alright
I'm goin' way down south
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now
I gotta go now
Hey, Joe
You better run on down
Goodbye everybody
Hey hey Joe